


Together- Part One

by keylaleigh



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, Other, Ulgrotha, Violence, fanwalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 03:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10505841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keylaleigh/pseuds/keylaleigh
Summary: The first in a series of Origins stories about my collection of Fanwalkers.Magnus Rayne lived a life as peacefully as one could on the almost dead plane of Ulgrotha, until the development of rare magical abilities turns his entire world upside down.





	

Together- Magnus Rayne's Tale

  
"Sophia?"  
"Yes, Magnus?"  
"What were mom and dad like?"  
Sophia, only thirteen, looked down at her six-year-old brother and smiled. "Our parents were wonderful people who would've given us the world if it was in their power. Kind, generous, caring... but human, like everyone else we know. So when so many got sick, they went to help the ailing and got sick themselves. They got sick... and they never really got better." Sophia was only nine when they finally passed, and their last wishes to her was to make sure nobody separated her or her little brother from each other. And that she did. They lived on the streets, getting by on the scraps that the wealthy had no use for, but they lived. And they lived together.  
Life was hard on Ulgrotha, but they got by the best they could.  
\----------------------  
Years later, a ten year old Magnus ran into the hovel that was given to Sophia in exchange for the work she did on the farmlands of the local noble. It was still early, so he had the small clay home to himself for the next few hours. He had some toys to play with, but like all children, he became incredibly bored with the few things he had- a ball, some hand-carved animals given to him by another worker on the farm in exchange for his sister's bread, and a writing slate with small pieces of chalk.  
Fortunately, he had other ways to have fun. Ways he didn't dare tell his sister about for fear of her reaction.  
He took a few stale breadcrumbs from the empty cupboard and sprinkled them on the floor near a small hole. It didn't take long after that for a small mouse to come sniffing out towards the crumbs. After a tentative nibble, the creature decided that the sudden stash of food was perfectly safe and started eating what was in front of it. That was when Magnus struck, focusing all of his energy on the mouse. It shuddered violently, then went completely rigid.  
Magnus knew at that moment the creature was under his command. Its head twitched wildly, looking around at the world and most likely wondering why it couldn't move. Magnus put his wooden ball down on the floor near the mouse and started willing it to walk towards the ball. It did so. Then Magnus willed it to lean on the ball with its front paws and push it forward. It did that as well. He watched as the mouse pushed the ball in circles around the room and soon started to realize that the movements were becoming stumbling and sluggish. He gave a nod and the mouse collapsed, too exhausted to move. He could control the body, but if the body became too tired then it didn't matter what he tried to do. He smiled and took a larger crumb from the cupboard. The mouse eagerly snatched it and Magnus watched with curiosity as the mouse ate the bread and then scurried off to its hole and far away from the child. He knew that he would be able to find another one, though. Mice never stayed away for too long, especially when there was food in it for them.  
\----------------------  
Magnus continued practicing his abilities in secret, and Sophia kept working the farm. Soon, Magnus got to an age where he was considered old enough to help her with her work, and the pair was out in the fields together. It was hard work, but Magnus knew that it had to be done if they wanted to keep their living space. Every day, he woke up early with his sister and went out to find weeds and pests in the fields while she fertilized and found plants ready for harvest. Magnus spent quite a bit of his time being somewhat lazy, as pests didn't stay around after they were chased out. Except for the birds, as they came around often enough. So Magnus spent some of his time in the fields controlling the bodies of birds that got too close and making them fly in lazy circles until he had to do other things. He envied the birds. How they could come and go as they pleased, not owing any service to any lord. Just find a tree to roost in for the night and settle down. The very concept seemed blissful.  
"Magnus!" His sister's voice cut through his daydreaming. "We need to get back to work before the Overseer sees you slacking off!"  
"Sorry sis." He jumped up from his lying down position. "What do we have to do now?"  
"You're chasing foxes from the chicken coop while I milk cows." she helped him to his feet. "Lately they've been running off with more chickens than Lord Abrams wants to admit. And you're pretty good at keeping pests out." she tousled his hair. "Despite being one yourself." she chuckled.  
"Okay." Magnus smiled back at her. "Nothing's gonna get in that coop while I'm on the lookout!" The pair walked through the fields. There weren't many in Lord Abrams' employ during this time of the year, and she only stayed around because of the contract that she signed with him in exchange for their living space. It was quiet during these months before any harvesting was done, and Magnus really enjoyed it. As the pair reached the barn, Magnus went off towards the chicken coop, while she went inside the barn itself. He picked up a decently heavy stick and gave it a few test swings. Yup, if any fox came around, he'd whack it away with this. He smiled and sat on a stool near the coop.  
Almost an hour passed with no commotion when he heard something coming close. Padded footprints. Slipping around the back, Magnus gasped. Standing at the back of the chicken coop was an enormous gray wolf, and it was sniffing its way into the chicken coop. He promised that nothing would get into the coop, so nothing was going to get into the coop. He stared at the wolf, projecting his will upon it. It shuddered. Magnus gasped a little bit. He had no clue his control would work on such a large creature.  
Deciding to test out his own abilities, he willed the wolf to stand on its hind legs. It did, and Magnus smiled. It hopped in a circle before he made it go back on all fours and roll back and forth on the ground. He let out a laugh and had it stand on its hind legs again.  
"Magnus!" the shocked scream of his sister made him lose concentration, and the wolf ran away with its tail between its legs. She ran to him, embracing him. "Are you alright? I've never seen a wolf act like that before..."  
"I did that!" He shouted excitedly. "I can make animals move around just by thinking about it, and I saw the wolf, so I-" Magnus's voice faltered when he saw the terrified expression in his sister's eyes. "What's wrong?"  
"How long... have you been able to do that?"  
"A while now. Why?"  
"Have you shown this... ability to anyone else?"  
Magnus shook his head, and Sophia gave a relieved sigh. "Good. We don't want the wrong people finding out about this."  
"Wrong people?"  
Sophia nodded. "Remember the woman who lived a few doors down from us?" Magnus nodded. "Well, supposedly, she had some kind of weird ability. I never asked exactly what, but when word got out that there was something strange about her, the Black Carriage came to her doorstep and she was never seen again."  
Magnus gasped. Everyone on Ulgrotha knew the Black Carriage was the personal vehicle of Baron Sengir himself. "So you're saying..."  
"Don't. Tell. Anyone. I've worked too hard to keep what is left of our family together, and I'm not letting you destroy it. In fact, forget your gift exists. We'll all be better off that way." she glared at him.  
Magnus looked down at the ground. "Okay."  
Sophia pulled her little brother close to her. "Good."  
\-------------------  
Magnus did a good job keeping his gifts hidden, only working on them i the house while his sister wasn't watching. She didn't approve of what he could do, and was terrified of word going back to Baron Sengir about it. However, he personally felt he should develop his gift further.Who knew when the ability to control another creature's body would become useful?  
At that time he had no idea how useful, or how dangerous, it would become.  
A few months after his sister's discovery, Magnus and Sophia had worked long after dark and the usually torchlit paths around the farmyard were dimming. It was never good to be out at night around the Dark Barony, as that was when Baron Sengir's many children came out to play. Sophia practically ran home, her brother pushed in front of her, until they made it back to their house.  
Much to both their surprise, a fire was already lit in the small fireplace when they opened the door.  
Sitting at their table was a man a few years older than Sophia with fine clothes and a well-trimmed beard. Jodah, the eldest son of Lord Abrams. Both Magnus and Sophia knew him immediately.  
Sophia stepped between the man and her brother. "Magnus, go to bed." She looked back at him with a fierce glare."Now." Magnus knew better than to argue with his sister when she got that look in her eyes and ran into the small bedroom, closing the door behind him. Instead of going to bed, though he opened the door a crack. Jodah and his sister were so focused on each other that they didn't notice him do that.  
"What the hell do you want?" Sophia almost snarled.  
Jodah rose from his seat and started walking towards her. "I would suggest watching your tone. You wouldn't want to upset the wrong people, would you?"At this point he had backed her into a wall. "As for what I want..." Jodah looked her up and down in a way that Magnus knew made her uncomfortable. "It's a pity someone so beautiful is working my father's fields.Work like that can wear you out. Hunch your back, crack your skin..." the back of his hand stroked her cheek and she turned away. "I just want a taste of this beauty before it's spoiled forever."  
His hand moved down to the bottom of her shirt and stared to lift it up. When she let out a shout, his other hand covered her mouth. "You keep that pretty mouth shut unless I tell you to open it." he growled in her ear. "My father owns you, which means I own you too. And I could have you and your brother back on the streets before you make a sound. Do you understand?"  
Sophia was still, and then a single nod.  
Jodah's smile returned. "Good. Then let's get started."  
Magnus may have only been thirteen years old, but he understood what was going on well enough to know that Jodah was harming his sister. And nobody harmed his sister.  
Without thinking, Magnus reached out with his gift until he grabbed ahold of Jodah. the man shuddered, and then stopped his advances.  
Without thinking, Magnus moved him over to a bucket of drinking water.  
Jodah was shocked speechless as he knelt down in front of it, and he only started to scream in protest right before his head went into the water. Magnus made Jodah hold his hands fast to the bucket while his head thrashed from side to side in a futile attempt to escape. After a little bit, the thrashing became less intense and the bubbles rising to the surface became fewer and fewer until they were gone and Jodah's body became limp. Magnus released his control. The bucket clattered to the floor and the body along with it.  
Magnus was shaking. He dropped to his knees as he looked at the fresh corpse. "Magnus..." Sophia looked over at the barely opened door for the first time. "You did that, didn't you?" He opened the door a little more and nodded. Sophia took a deep breath and regained her composure. "We'll talk about this later. For now," she dashed into the bedroom and pulled the blanket off of their bed. "Grab the wheelbarrow near the storage shed. We're moving the body to the pond. It'll look more like he got drunk and fell in face-first that way."  
Magnus nodded and ran to get the wheelbarrow. Hopefully this quickly thought out plan would make things return slightly back to normal after this.  
What he didn't notice was the bat that had seen the whole thing through the window...  
\----------------  
A few days had passed since the incident with Jodah, and it was taken exactly the way Sophia said it would be. Magnus felt a weight lift from his chest at the discovery of the body in the duck pond and the proclamation that he had fallen into it. And it seemed Sophia was in a decent enough mood as well. She was quiet, and Magnus knew that she preferred not to talk about what happened that night.Then again, he didn't want to talk much about that night either. He and his sister had the very rare free day, so he decided to spend it at the marketplace in town. He didn't have any money to actually buy anything, but just the sights and sounds were enough to lift his spirits.  
When Magnus came home from the market, however, the house was a mess. Furniture tipped over, dishes broken, obvious signs of a struggle.  
"Sophia?" He whispered quietly, "Sophia, are you there?"  
"Your lovely older sister has been taken into custody." A new voice came from the kitchen. Standing in the threshold between the two rooms was a man with shaggy black hair and a patch over his right eye. Veldrane of Sengir, the Baron's personal servant. He was no Vampire, but he was supposedly much older than any human had the right to be. Instinctively, Magnus's hand reached out and Veldrane stood frozen. Before he could command the man's body to do anything, though, cold fingers wrapped around his throat from behind. Slowly, the hands squeezed tighter.  
"Let me go, and he lets you go." Veldrane growled through gritted teeth. Magnus gave a defeated grunt, and Veldrane was walking towards him. "Now, as I was saying, Sophia Rayne has been taken into custody for the murder of a nobleman." Magnus gave a small gasp. "And as you know, the punishment for such a heinous crime is death at the gallows. Unless you stop it." Veldrane leaned close and whispered in Magnus's ear. "We both know how that nobleman really died. And Baron Sengir knows as well. He is very interested in you, Magnus."  
"And... how do I stop my sister's execution?" A chill shot through Magnus, followed by a heavy weight in his stomach. He had a terrifying feeling he already knew the answer.  
"Come with me. All will be explained once we reach Castle Sengir." He made a motion with his head and two pairs of cold hands were on either side of him. Magnus looked over and saw he was being held by two zombies. It seemed as if his chance to refuse was long gone if he even had the chance to refuse in the first place.  
As he was led out, he saw a massive black carriage already waiting, and his heart sank even further. The very thing his sister warned him about. The carriage that would take him away from everything.  
The carriage that would split their family apart.  
He saw neighbors peer out through dirty windows and knew he was going to be the next subject of rumors passed around the farmyard, just like that woman a few years back. Taking a deep breath, Magnus stepped into the carriage, Veldrane right behind him. As it rumbled off, he peeked out the curtain covering the back window and watched as the place he had called home for many years vanished. While he couldn't be entirely certain, he was pretty sure that he would never see this area again.  
The ride to the castle took almost two hours, and those two hours were spent in complete silence. Magnus intentionally refused to look at Veldrane, and instead opted to look out the window. Ulgrotha was not a pretty place to look at, and he knew that the small town he came from was one of the few areas with still fertile land. A lot of Ulgrotha was pretty barren, with people barely scraping by. He didn't think of his sister as well-off by any means, but he knew that they lived a better existence than a lot of Ulgrothans. With the exception of the free-folk of An-Havva, everywhere was under the watchful eye of Baron Sengir, and his oppressive view could be felt from every corner of the plane.  
He felt it even stronger as the Black Carriage headed across the drawbridge into Castle Sengir. Glancing over at Veldrane, he saw the man give a small smile. Of course. This was home sweet home to him. He took a deep breath as he looked up at the towers looming over him, and before he knew it, the carriage came to a stop.  
A servant opened the door for the pair, and Magnus was forced out by Veldrane behind him. "Now remember to always address the Baron as either 'Baron' or 'My Lord', nothing else. And don't speak unless you're spoken to." He marched briskly through the hallway leading towards what Magnus assumed was the throne room. "Do you understand?" Magnus gave a quick nod. "I was told you were a smart kid. Now, Baron Sengir is just beyond that door. I'll go in first, and you come when I call for you."  
Magnus nodded again. He briefly considered running, controlling the bodies of one of the guards to cause a distraction while he ran out of the castle. That thought was quickly banished. If he controlled one guard, the rest would attack him immediately, and he had no clue how to control more than one person. So instead, he played along and waited outside the door while Veldrane did all the talking. Just a moment later, Veldrane opened the door.  
"The Baron will see you now."  
Magnus was shaking as he stepped into the dark throne room. Sitting on a black wooden throne was a tall and slim man with his hair tied into a single thin braid that ran down his back. His skin was pale and his eyes were a soulless black. His fingernails were long and black, and he wore clothing that looked centuries old.  
The Baron looked down down at Magnus with raised eyebrows. "Now child, what is your name?"  
Magnus remained silent until Veldrane game him a solid swat across the back of the head. "Magnus Rayne... my lord." He quickly added when he saw Veldrane's hand rise again.  
"Magnus. A good strong name." Baron Sengir gave a toothy grin, showing off the fangs that marked him as obviously not human. "Now Magnus," he continued as he absentmindedly played with his braid. "I have heard some startling rumors that you possess some... unusual abilities." The Baron leaned closer in his chair. "Tell me about them."  
Magnus looked nervously at Veldrane, and then back at the Baron. Neither of them seemed to be making any motions towards him, but he knew better than to make either of them wait. "I can... I can make people move the way I want them to."  
Baron Sengir nodded slowly. "I see. Would you mind giving a demonstration?" Before Magnus could say yes or no, a side door opened and a man in shackles and tattered clothing was led out by a black-armored guard. The Baron pointed at the newcomer. "Control him."  
Magnus went cold as he looked at the pathetic man. Jodah was the first human he had ever controlled, and he wasn't looking forward to feeling those sensations again, but if the baron was telling him to do it... with a sigh of defeat, he focused his energy on the man who gave a familiar shudder of sudden chill, then was unnaturally rigid.  
"He is under your control now?" The Baron leaned forward even further. Magnus nodded. "Good." he nodded to the guard, who unlocked the man's shackles. "Make him raise his right arm." Magnus obliged. "Now make him stand on just his left foot." Magnus obliged. These various commands continued for the next few minutes, the Baron taking great enjoyment from this form of cruel entertainment. Jump up and down. Walk around the room. Do a cartwheel. Magnus was starting to relax until Baron Sengir nodded to Veldrane, who put a knife on the table.  
"Now make him pick up that knife and slit his own throat." Baron Sengir's jovial smile was gone and his eyes darkened. Magnus gasped and shook his head and the Baron frowned. "You have a choice, young Magnus. His throat now... or your sister's at the gallows tomorrow."  
Magnus shook as he made the man pick up the knife on the table. He saw the man's eyes flash with fear and heard his shouts of protest and his hand lifted the knife to his throat. The blade pressed into flesh,but the moment blood started to flow, Magnus fainted, and the man's throat was only half-cut. Veldrane quickly finished the job and the man fell dead.  
"He is only a child, my Lord..."  
"Yes,"the Baron nodded. "A chid with great potential..."


End file.
